Both Shades of Night
by SecretLupin
Summary: (Revamp of "On Fire", Draco/OC) Tru Lupin, daughter of Remus, must face a difficult change in her life among other trials at Hogwarts. Draco battles with his conscience after becoming a Death Eater. Both lives clash and the two find that they not only understand one another in a way no one else can, but they are the only hope they have for freedom.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I DOT NOT OWN ANY OF THE CONTENT RECOGNIZED FROM THE HARRY POTTER BOOKS! The characters, places, objects, creatures etc. belong to J.K. Rowling._

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**Chapter One**

Just as the dew prepared its fall from the leaf of the oak tree before him, so too did Remus Lupin prepare to fall onto the grass and sleep. It had been a long and grueling day. Not only had James and Lily just been murdered and Voldemort defeated, but he had also gotten a very unexpected and unpleasant visit from someone he believed to be long gone.

This visitor had come just after the horrible news had arrived. Remus was pacing back and forth in his study like an upset ferret, fighting off the tears that had been threatening to erupt like a burst fire hydrant.

Not only were James and Lily murdered, but Peter too and Sirius was the prime suspect. He felt so alone, so cast into darkness that he was unsure how much more he could take.

Suddenly, he heard a knock at his door. It was a quiet knock, almost as if the person behind the door did not actually want to be heard.

Slowly, cautiously, Remus approached the door. He opened it slowly, not expecting the sight to be a woman standing with a baby wrapped in a light purple afghan. "Melinda?" Remus gasped, feeling rooted to the spot.

The woman before him was a short, thin woman with long burgundy hair and a pointed nose. Her eyes were black as night, yet shone with a glimmer of sorrow. The baby in her arms had sprinkles of sandy brown hair atop her tiny head, her nose as pointy as her mother's. Remus stared from Melinda to the baby and, giving Melinda a quizzical look, bowed her in.

Remus had met Melinda at a party just after a friend of his had married the previous year. He felt bewitched by her and after only a couple of weeks and three dates, they had sex. Being that Remus had fallen so hard and so fast, he wanted to let her know of his secret that he was, in fact, a werewolf. However, she did not take this with compassion and left him, disgusted.

Since then, until this night, Remus had seen nor heard of her.

Melinda stepped in and shook her robes, dust puffed up from them in small individual clouds. She removed them and sat on the sofa by the fireplace. Remus merely stood in front of her, still eyeing the child with great interest.

"Let me guess…" he murmured, watching as the baby girl stirred in her mother's arms.

"Yes." Melinda finally said. "She is yours."

"And you didn't bother to come to me sooner because…?"

Melinda held up a hand to silence him. Though they had known one another for only a few short weeks before she decided to leave and only had one intimate encounter, Remus knew she was stern and didn't want her wrath when he was already in so much woe.

"I didn't come to you sooner because not only were things hectic with the Dark Lord, but I wasn't sure about her in the first place…" she paused here, scanning Remus' face for a reaction. He knew exactly what she meant, she was just too cowardly to say so.

"You weren't sure if she was like me…"

Silence fell between the two adults. The baby cooed in her sleep and he fire behind Remus crackled wildly. The flames danced in Melinda's eyes as she stared indifferently at the baby in her arms. "Yes…now I am. You once told me that there are only two ways a person can become a werewolf; by birth or by accident. You also told me that – for lack of a better term – the baby born a werewolf will have a birthmark signifying that they have the curse as well."

As she said this, Melinda removed part of the blanket from the baby to reveal her left leg. Just above her left knee, the baby bore a most peculiar brown birthmark. It was shaped like a crescent moon and almost seemed to shine like glass. Remus leaned against the mantle and wiped a hand down his face to cover his mouth.

"That is how I know for sure that she is yours." Melinda sneered, hatred almost pouring from her words. "I have been with another man since I left you, a NORMAL wizard—"

"I did NOT ask to be this way-!"

"But—she happens to be yours instead of his. I've come here to relieve myself of her. She is in your hands now." With this, Melinda stood and practically dropped the girl onto the sofa. She turned a heel and was nearly at the door when Remus grabbed her by the arm. "You cannot just come here after nearly a year without a word and carelessly drop a baby on my doorstep."

"She's on your sofa. And what does it matter to me? That, that…THING is no child of mine. Say what you will about it not being your choice, but I will have no part in her life if she is going to possibly kill me someday. You can handle this, you WANT to handle this. I can't and I won't."

Her eyes were littered with hatred and disgust as she ripped her arm from Remus' grasp. She threw her robes around her and swiftly sprinted out of the house as fast as she could. Remus just stared after her at the closed door. His shoulders grew weak and began to shake. Suddenly, the tears he had been fighting since he heard about the Potters now broke free and he fell to his knees.

He wept so loudly and so violently, he felt as though he would change without the full moon's wake ahead of him. As his sobs reverberated off of the walls of his home, so too did a new set of sobs join the mournful chiding. Remus looked up from his tear stained hands at the sofa; the baby.

He quickly stood and rushed to her. Her face screwed up and purpled as her cries grew louder. Remus reached for her and shushed as he began to rock her in his arms. "It's all right, little one…Remu-…I mean..Daddy's here. Yes…that's right. Daddy's here, sweet little flower."

As he whispered to her, the baby calmed and gazed up at him transfixed. Her bright, grey eyes suddenly dried and she smiled at him. Remus felt his heart swell within him and saw a glimmer of light at the end of this wretched tunnel.

Quick as a flash, Remus fashioned her a safe spot on his bed by arranging his bedclothes around her like a fluffy crib. He then sat at his desk and penned letters to Albus Dumbledore and other members of the Order to ensure their safety as well as tell them the news; that he had become a father.

Once he had sent the letters, Remus decided to walk outside to catch his breath.

As he stood before the oak tree in his front yard, he felt as though he would collapse. He stared up into the night sky, thankful that the moon was absent. He wondered why he felt no qualms about suddenly becoming a father. The answer came almost immediately. The moment he took a good look her, gazing down into her eyes he felt a love he'd never felt before. He knew that she was his and that she was a shimmer of hope after such dark times for him.

He looked back toward the house at the lit window, knowing she was sleeping soundly in his bedroom. His mind whirred suddenly with thoughts of having to tell her what he was…what she would become…

…And what to name her.

As though he'd heard it on the whispers of the fall breeze, it came to him.

"Tru…" he whispered. "Your name is Tru."

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Dear Readers,

I deeply and sincerely apologize for my absence over the past 7 years. I would also like to express my appreciation for your extremely determined patience in waiting for continuance with "On Fire". This, as you can tell, is a re-envisioning of that story. After reading the original, I realized not only was my writing style particularly elementary at the time, but I was also running off on such a tangent that I failed to keep certain things TO THE BOOKS. With this story, I am not only going to try and remain more true to J.K. Rowling's genius, but also introduce superior character development from OF. I would like to thank each and every one of you for your never ending support once again. :) Expect Chapters 11-22 within the next few weeks. I PROMISE THIS TIME!

Love Always,

SL


	2. Chapter 2

15 Years Later…

**Chapter Two**

Tru peeked out from behind the oak tree with her bright teal eyes to make sure the coast was clear, her long, sandy brown hair swinging around her shoulders. She grinned when she saw the way was hers and she sprinted toward the house. Just when she thought she was safe, her father jumped from behind a bush and grabbed her around the waist and lifted her into the air. "I've got you!" he cried triumphantly.

"No!" Tru cried through laughter. "Not fair! You can't hide from me when I'm hiding from you. That's not how hide and seek works!" Remus lowered her to the ground and sat on the steps beside him. "Either way I caught you and that means you're it." He chuckled. "The game is won for me."

Tru sat down beside her father and bumped her shoulder against his playfully. "You were always better at this than I ever was." She leaned her head onto his shoulders and gave a deep sigh. Though some things never changed, her surroundings certainly had.

For the past sixteen years, she grew up here with her father after her mother abandoned her. It wasn't easy hearing that news from him, yet she never really felt any need to involve her (Melinda) in her life. Dad was all she needed. And despite all he had been through (Being a werewolf, losing Lily and James Potter, believing Sirius to be a fugitive, losing Sirius after getting him back in his life, helping Harry Potter and being in the Order of the Phoenix…) he still held strong. Tru admired him so much for all of this.

She often begged him to come back and teach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, he always declined. It was much too dangerous for him to be there after the Dark Lord's return. This year, her sixth year at Hogwarts, was going to be especially rough. For the first time, she would not be able to return for the Holidays as her father was going to be busy. Not to mention her extra studies.

What she did have to look forward to, however, was seeing all of her comrades in Gryffindor again. Though she wasn't particularly close to Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley, she still counted them among the closest people in her life. She had always been closest to the Weasley Twins, though, as they shared her nature for mischief. She fondly thought of their reaction to her hair the previous year and how long it had grown in just a few short months, on the new jokes they may have invented, and how they would get into trouble together when Filch wasn't looking. Though she was proud of their triumphant stand against Umbridge last term, she would miss their company.

As she pondered these things, night began to fall on the Lupin house. Tru's eyes began to droop and Remus yawned loudly. He peeked down at Tru and nudged her. "Time to get inside. It'll be dark soon and you need to be up early. Your term starts tomorrow." Remus said, beaming down at her. Tru nodded in reply, seemingly too exhausted to speak. They both stood and entered the house. Tru stopped just by the table and leaned against it. She held an arm around her stomach and winced. A small, brief, stabbing pain resonated within her gut.

This had been reoccurring for the past couple of weeks, but she didn't want it to alarm her father so she had kept it a secret. However, this time her father noticed.

"Tru, what's wrong?" Remus stepped forward, concern laden in his tired eyes. Tru shook her head at him and waved the problem away. "It's nothing, Dad. I probably just ate some bad dates." Remus wasn't convinced. He continued forward and put a hand on her forehead. The flesh beneath his hand was damp and cold. Yet, Tru's face only held an expression of irritable nature.

"Dad, I'm not going to turn into a werewolf. Not yet at least…" her voice trailed off and they both stood facing one another with awkward tension.

Though Remus had tried to keep Tru's fate a secret, he found that her cleverness was no match. When Tru was only eight, she inquired about her crescent moon birthmark. At the time, Remus could only excuse it as a mark of love from him to her. However, using this description made him feel sick. He would never have cursed her with such a thing if he'd had a choice.

Unconvinced and curious as ever, Tru had done some home research on her father's condition and discovered that she was marked from birth. While she was, at first, distraught and angry, Tru had grown to accept her fate with dignity on the outside and caution within. Remus almost envied his daughter in this light. He knew very well not to believe that she was 100% brave about the situation, he did however know that she was taking the news much better than he ever could.

Tru smiled at her father and kissed him on the forehead. "It won't be for a couple of months yet. Professor Snape already knows to keep the potion handy as soon as November 2nd rolls around and Madame Pomfrey has a bed saved for me so that I can rest in privacy after my transformations. Not to mention the fact that all of my friends are so supportive already. I've talked with Fred and George and even Harry, Ron, and Hermione a dozen times about it. They'll keep me on a leash, so to speak."

She wrapped her arms around Remus and squeezed tightly. She knew he must be so worried about what she was going to experience. She knew the feeling, as she always fretted about her father and how he handled his monthly visits. She, however, saw this as a way to connect on an even deeper level with her father. He suffered so much on his own, now she could give him the company he so desperately needed. While his newfound love for his fellow Order member, Nymphadora Tonks, gave him something else to look forward to, Tru knew she could never understand his pain like she soon would.

These thoughts traveled to bed with Tru as she wrapped herself up for a good night's rest. Another twinge of pain invaded her belly and she tightened her face. "I wish I could just get it over with already." She whispered to the ceiling as she closed her eyes.

The next morning, all thoughts of the full moon and preservation potions faded away with the flurry of packing and heading to King's Cross. Tru's ever faithful owl, Rewyn, sat beside her in his cage. His dark feathers ruffled with excitement. Once all of her belongings were gathered together in their front room by the fire, Remus gathered their pot of floo powder and they traveled through to Diagon Alley, as it was closest.

From there, they walked their way to the train station. The walk was silent, and Tru was all too aware of why. Remus was never good at saying good bye to her for ten months solid. She held his hand and squeezed it tight as they ran through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾ and all the way to the Hogwarts Express itself.

"Oi! Tru!" the all too familiar voices of Harry and Ron cried out. Tru grinned widely as they rushed over to pick her up and spin her about. Hermione clicked her tongue behind them with disapproval. "Put her down, she's not a toy." Once they felt she was dizzy enough, they lowered her to the ground and she stumbled, a goofy expression on her face. "Now, now boys. " Remus clucked. "If you're going to be making my daughter sick before she gets on the train, don't come crying to me when you are met with a mess."

"Dad, I'm not five anymore. I don't get motion sickness." Tru drawled. Remus ruffled her hair, paused, then drew her into a long embrace. "I'm going to miss you, darling." He whispered. "I'm going to miss you too, Daddy." Tru replied, suppressing tears. Remus released her and, after a meaningful look and fifty reminders to write, watched her board the train.

Tru shared a compartment her three friends. As the train began to move, she shoved her head out of the window and waved vigorously at her father. He wore an expression of mournful pride as he returned her farewell and turned away to leave the station.

Tru sat back in her seat and gazed out of the window. While her friends already knew of her predicament, she wasn't sure how to break it to them that this year would be the start of a whole new life for her…one that she feared they would have to be excluded from.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

The feast and sorting, as usual, were enjoyable to the very last serving of treacle tart and bread pudding. Tru felt as though she would burst from the sheer density of the food she'd eaten. Everyone around her was just as joyful, even in such dark times. While Tru respected that Harry had his own problems as well as the impending trials between him and whatever fate he had to accept, Tru was happy that she was no part of it and had her own problems to take care of.

Tru couldn't deny it, she may speak to the trio occasionally, but they were not nearly as close to her as they were with each other. If anything, and Tru admitted this to herself long ago, they were mere acquaintances who were there to comfort her, especially after her father's condition was revealed. Tru had never been the popular girl and after this news traveled through the school, she was often ignored. After the twins left, any real socialization was wiped out. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were always taking care of things with Harry's life. Tru stayed out of it, knowing that she both didn't belong and didn't want to be a part of it. She accepted her father's role in his life.

Labeling them as friends was a mere comfort to her as she was certain they probably didn't see her as close as she would hope. It was highly complicated, even for Tru to think about. So she smiled and spoke to them, knowing full well they would never give her the full picture. She knew her father liked the thought of her being around them; good influence. That wasn't to say that Tru didn't enjoy their company, she just felt that she was imposing on their already deep friendship; a fourth wheel on a tricycle.

Sooner than expected, students flooded from the Great Hall as soon as dinner ceased and began to separate into their respective common rooms. Just as Tru rounded the corner out of the Great Hall doors, she was met with another body and both fell to the floor.

"Tru, are you ok?" Hermione asked, concerned as Tru was knocked directly into the wall. Tru nodded and stood to face the rude, scowling face of Draco Malfoy. As she stared at him, she noticed his nose was bleeding. He quickly raised his hand to clip his nostrils shut to cease the flow of blood. At this, Harry and Ron chuckled.

"Perhaps next time, you'll keep out of the way." Ron said, pointing at Malfoy's dripping nose.

"I don't have to keep out of the way of a filthy Werewolf Spawn brat." Draco spat back.

While Harry and Ron protested and argued with him, Tru scoffed loudly and walked around him to make her way to bed. She couldn't be bothered with someone so abrasive. She couldn't stand the way Harry and the others made him out to be some dark wizard pupil when he was clearly nothing but a rude, pompous, overbearing, arrogant and cowardly boy. She ignored Hermione's complaints about him and, as they made their way away from the accident, turned to take one last look at him.

Draco stared back, menace in his eyes. Something also lay there. Fear? Her brow furrowed with confusion. She had never seen this pompous boy so weak looking, even behind the mask of wealth and power.

Tru shook Malfoy's face from her mind and soon enough was back in her dormitory with Hermione. Her face lit up when she saw her bed and she leapt straight into it. The cotton sheets enveloped her in blissful comfort and she wrapped herself within them.

"…just don't understand why he always has to be so stingy and rude." Hermione's voice invaded Tru's thoughts and she sighed.

"Honestly, I don't see why you three let him get to you. He obviously does it just to get a rise. If it were me, I would just pull a decent prank on him rather than give his words power by throwing more words back." She sat to face Hermione, leaning on one arm with her legs crossed.

Hermione raised an eyebrow at her. "And pulling some Weasley style prank isn't giving his words power?"

"Heavens no. If he doesn't know it's me, he wouldn't feel powerful about it, would he? Hiding myself doesn't give him the satisfaction of knowing he's gotten to me, even though he hasn't." laughing at Hermione's expression, Tru leapt from the bed to change into her pajamas. As soon as they were buttoned up, she fell into bed and shut her brain off.

Moments later in Tru's mind, but in reality hours had passed, she awoke to a burning sensation invading her bones. She felt as though her body had been dipped into a pot of boiling water and then rubbed over with ice cubes. She was sweating and trembling from head to toe. Her breathing grew shallow and quick as she stepped from her bed to walk to her window. The moon wasn't out that night, thankfully, yet she felt as though she would change any second. This must be what it felt like to approach that time.

For once, she felt the fear creep up her spine and into her brain. What if she couldn't handle this as well as her father? What if she did something horrible? What if she didn't take her potion in time?

"Tru?" Hermione's groggy voice cooed behind her, making her jump.

"I'm fine." She said quickly.

Hermione eyed her, quizzical and questioning. "I haven't said anything yet." She said, cautiously rising from her bed.

"Really, I'm fine." Tru reassured her, trying to appear calm after her startling leap. However, this was not enough to convince Hermione and she stepped forward. "You don't look fine. Did you have a nightmare or something?"

Tru scoffed. "I wish this was a nightmare." She said without thinking. Suddenly, it dawned on Hermione and her face grew sorrowful.

"You are turning sixteen this year…I almost forgot."

"Well…aren't all of us sixth years turning 16?" Tru said jokingly. Hermione rolled her eyes, possibly feeling silly for having made that remark. Returning to her look of concern, Hermione sat beside Tru on her bed and examined her the way a doctor would if someone were mentally ill. This made Tru very uneasy and almost felt like hiding under her blanket.

"You are rather pale…" Hermione murmured.

"I'm alright. Can I please go to sleep? The moon isn't out and my birthday is still two months away." Tru was aware that her voice was much more irritable than she wanted it to sound. Hermione gave her a "I'm just trying to help." Face, frowned, and went over to her bed.

"You need to talk to Professor Snape." She finished. Hermione turned over and soon, her soft breath slowed to signify that she was back in a deep slumber.

Tru, admittedly, had been looking on her condition with more carelessness than she was willing to let on. Perhaps it was time to speak to Snape…

"I still have two months." Tru told herself stubbornly. She gave the reflection of herself in the window a curt nod and returned to her soft, cotton bedclothes.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

September passed and October came along with early snow. It was nearly Halloween and all of the students began focusing on the impending feast. Tru seemed to completely forget her obligations to her health as she sat at breakfast just two days before the holiday. Despite the fact that she had been feeling weaker and weaker as the days passed, she felt there was no rush. Hermione, however, never ceased to remind her of the countdown until her birthday. Today, it was only four days away. Yet Tru still found no reason to raise alarm. She'd been prepared for this day for 8 years. All she had to do was get her potion from Snape the day before and take it in the evening just before the moon rose. She would be fine.

"Just stop your worrying, I'll be alright." She drawled gaining a disapproving look from Hermione.

Once again Harry and Ron had complaints about Malfoy, who was apparently acting very strange. To Harry and Ron, he was always acting strange. Tru ignored it as best she could while staring blankly down into her plate of sausage and eggs Benedict.

"…You'd think he would fess up by now, shout to the world that he's Daddy's Little Death Eater and he's plotting to find a way to let You-Know-Who into Hogwarts or something." Ron chided through a mouth full of biscuit. Tru clicked her tongue, receiving a stare from Ron and Harry. "I suppose you aren't bothered by this at all?" Harry asked.

Tru snapped her neck to glare at him. "For your information, no, I'm not. If he bothers you this much, then why don't you do something about it instead of complain?"

"Do you have any ideas then?" Ron asked sarcastically.

Tru's eyes traveled to the Slytherin table where Malfoy sat with his head bowed low over his breakfast. He wolfed his bacon and vegetable omelet down like a starving animal while his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, snuck away his muffin and goblet of pumpkin juice for themselves. As he shoved the last of his egg into his mouth, he looked up and met her stare with a sneer. The look alone was enough to ring up an idea in Tru's mind.

"I do actually. Why fight fire with fire…when you can fight it with laughter. Treat him as though he were a boggart, though instead of being afraid of him, you're just annoyed." Tru grinned, her words coming out in a soft hiss.

Ron and Harry leaned in, intrigued. "What did you have in mind?" Harry asked.

Tru turned her toothy smile to them, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's snowing today." She said simply. Both Ron and Harry stared back at her, puzzled. Tru laughed, amused at their lack of ingenuity. "At eleven o'clock every morning, Malfoy passes through the Transfiguration courtyard. He sits under the tree and does his homework. It's usually his break between Defense against the Dark Arts and Transfiguration. But it's Saturday, which means that he will be passing through to sit and study. Since it's snowing, he may not stay long, so we'll need to act fast. We won't hurt him, we'll just…startle him a bit with a flurry of snowballs."

Tru paused with a great grin at the end of her master plan to examine their reaction. At first, it seemed as though the boys weren't going to run with this. Then, as if they just realized that Hermione was absent studying in the library, they returned her smirk and they set off for the courtyard. Time was precious during any prank, Tru knew this well after spending so much time with the twins. She looked at her watch, 10:30 a.m., no time to lose.

As soon as they reached the courtyard, Tru looked around. There weren't all that many places to hide near the tree Malfoy usually walked beneath. However, there was a gargoyle, a large boulder, and a statue of a witch at various vantage points throughout the clearing. As soon as Tru assigned Ron and Harry their positions, she instructed them on how to conjure snowballs and how to enchant them with a tickling charm. While it seemed innocent, the charm became extremely uncomfortable after a while. "He needs a good laugh anyway." Ron rationalized. Tru checked her watch, only three minutes to spare. She looked up to see a blonde head appear from the door to the courtyard and immediately hid behind the gargoyle while Ron hid behind the boulder and Harry behind the witch.

She smiled and laughed to herself, even if it wasn't a terrible thing to do, it would still catch him off guard and give her entertainment. That was the least Malfoy could do for anyone.

Draco made his way across the courtyard, so routine. Every day was beginning to be so tedious to him. Breakfast, class, break, work…He wasn't sure how he would make it through this year without going mad. As these thoughts clouded his mind, he felt something pelt him right in the forehead. He stumbled backward. Disoriented, he peered around the courtyard, readying himself for a quick retaliation.

To Draco's unsettling surprise, he saw no one around. As soon as he turned to leave, he was again smacked in the back of the head with a rogue snowball. This time, he felt the uncontrollable urge to laugh. As he began to howl with uncontrollable laughter, he became confused and suddenly overrun with snowballs coming from every direction. Amid his splitting sides and white blindness, he turned every way he could to spot his assailant. He trudged forward in an attempt to escape only to be thrown violently forward.

All at once, through his giggling, he felt a searing pain invade his skull and his vision began to blur. As he struggled to keep himself awake, he looked up into the face of the last person he wanted to see. "You…" he breathed, succumbing to the darkness.

"That was a nasty fall." Ron laughed.

"Ron, shut up! He's hurt, badly." Tru snapped, crouching beside the limp Malfoy. She examined his head. He had fallen into the corner of the pillar holding the Gargoyle she hid behind and hit hard against the back of his head. She turned him over to find a lump growing quickly at the top of his scalp, a small amount of blood oozed from the busting flesh. "He's bleeding; we need to get him to the Hospital Wing."

Without argument, Harry and Ron raised their wands to help her levitate and push him into the castle.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Draco slowly opened his eyes with much more effort than he felt he needed. He peered up at the high ceiling in the Hospital Wing with some confusion. As soon as he was completely coherent, he began to panic. "I can't be in here…I don't have the time…" He stumbled to his feet and immediately lost his balance and plunged to the floor.

As he impacted on the ground, he felt a sharp pain course through his head and he winced. Suddenly it all came back to him; the flurry of snow attacking him, the fits of laughter not his own, Lupin standing over him…

"Lupin!" he hissed, hoisting himself back onto the bed. Suddenly he heard a flurry of dainty footsteps coming toward him and a voice encumbered with frustration to follow. "Oh you foolish boy, get back into bed. That lump on your head isn't just going to heal overnight." Madam Pomfrey lifted him by his arms and practically slammed him back into the bed.

Draco closed his eyes, attempting to will the pain to leave him. Being that the pain originated from his head, it was increasingly difficult to concentrate even if such a thing was possible. "Why can't you just heal it now?" he snapped. "I can't waste my time in bed."

"While I admire your determination to your studies," Madame Pomfrey said, her eyes rolling. "I am unable to do more than give you a healing solution. I am preparing for a journey to St. Mungo's to attend a month long seminar on the healing effects of Horklump roots and Yetsley fish scales." As she spoke, she hastily handed him a phial of what appeared to be a heavy, pink cream. Draco eyed it and took some on his finger. He applied it underneath his bandages and felt a cool, tingling sensation to the touch. Instantly, he felt relief and sighed.

"Don't get too happy," Madame Pomfrey scolded. "The effect is temporary and it needs reapplying at least every two hours until that lump disappears. You'll be in here at least until Halloween."

Draco nearly dropped the solution at these words. He looked on her with fear. "I need to get out of here tonight!" he cried, more angrily than he probably should have. He couldn't give anything away… "I…I have so much to do." He said, lowering his tone to one more humble, yet still scornful. "Plus, the Quidditch match against Gryffindor is on the first…I want to be able to practice…" _That's it, Draco. _He thought to himself. _Make up any excuse you can. Make it convincing. No one must know…_

Madame Pomfrey eyed him, sizing up his words with a grain of salt. "I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy. Normally I would think you would want to stay in this bed for the remainder of your term with the way you usually whine." Draco sneered at her, nearly blinded with anger at her ignorance. "I will be sending my replacement in tomorrow. My cousin is just as well versed in the healing trade as I am. Perhaps he can find a way to have you out of here sooner. Besides, the first is only three days away. Until then, REST and don't make demands of people trying to help you heal from whatever accident you've had."

With that, Madame Pomfrey swept out of the wing and bade him good night as she slammed the door behind her. Draco slammed himself back against the pillow and fought back the cries of frustration rising in his chest.

_ Foolish, foolish woman! I don't care how close the first is. I don't care about that. I just need to get things done. There is so much preparation, so much I need to do before…_

Though, he couldn't blame her. She didn't know what he had to do.

As he pondered the lost time and the consequences that could follow, he felt fear and rage bubble in the deeper and deeper in his gut. He silently wished that he had been raised away from darkness. As hard as he tried not to, he blamed his father for the positions he and his mother were in. Voldemort was, indeed, a powerful influence. Yet he wished that they could just turn away and hide from it all. The task he'd been given to fix the Vanishing Cabinet to bring his forces into Hogwarts was a greater torture to him than he ever imagined it would be.

Years ago, when he believed himself a braver person because of his family and wealth, he would have gladly taken on the task and thanked the Dark Lord for the privilege. He was so naïve then. He had no clue just how terrifying being under the mighty hand of Voldemort actually was. He hated his father for allowing such a fate to befall his family. However, it was his father and he couldn't help but feel a sense of loyalty to him. That, and only that, was why he was doing what he had to do.

Still, the truest desire in his heart was to be free of it all. As he stared around at the beauty of Hogwarts, the home it had become, he felt his heart fall. He couldn't talk to anyone he knew about the way he felt. He couldn't tell Crabbe that his greatest joy was flying through the air over the grounds. He couldn't possibly divulge to Goyle that he wanted nothing more than to be a normal student and lay in the grass just to watch the clouds pass.

None of them, not a single one, would ever understand. Though he knew his mother might, he still couldn't tell her either for fear of what could happen. He would often ponder ways to escape. He would hatch plans to disappear, maybe even fake his death in order to be free. Nothing ever came of those dreams, only more nightmares.

Suddenly, he felt the initiative to at least try one thing. If he could possibly get to know the adversary that tortured Voldemort's every thought, teach himself to grin his way rather than scowl, he could be saved.

"But how…?" he whispered to himself. After so many years of harboring a hatred he never understood, how could he suddenly turn around and become a friend? Nothing so drastic could happen in the time frame he had. Especially with everything he was doing, how could they trust him? What if they discovered his task? Would they toss him aside believing he had only run with them only to bring them down?

He had to at least try…

If not for them…for his freedom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

Halloween came much to the glee of the students. It appeared that this year's celebration was to be the best there had ever been. Tru heard Harry telling the others that he had seen the teachers bewitching the walls to grow pumpkin vines. The ceiling had been altered to show the constellations morphing into skeletons, bats, and other cliché shapes. Ron mentioned a rumor that the Headless Hunt was going to make an appearance to hand candy out to the students.

While all of these were wonderful notions and Tru had always loved Halloween. She found it increasingly hard to focus. Her mind clouded and most of the time she found herself off in space. Hermione nagged at her to go to Professor Snape. "I want to wait until after the feast. Then I'll talk to him." Normally, Tru wasn't so irresponsible. Even she admitted that putting off her visit to the Professor was neglectful and potentially harmful. Yet she knew that deep down it was because she had simply lost her bravery toward the situation and wanted to avoid facing it.

Pushing these things out of her mind, Tru reached for a pumpkin pasty and laughed feebly at a joke Ron told the group.

Draco on the other hand, was just as frustrated. Nathaniel Pomfrey, Madame Pomfrey's cousin, was not nearly as experienced as the Hogwarts nurse had let on. He stood over Draco for nearly an hour attempting to defuse the lump on his head to no avail. Finally, he just gave Draco all the solution he could grab and told him to go and enjoy the feast.

His face a deep shade of puce, Draco stomped his way to the feast. If there was one thing he wanted on this Halloween night, it was for Tru Lupin to answer for taking away what precious time he had. His arms were stiff at his sides as he took long, pounding strides into the Great Hall and straight to the Gryffindor table. He ripped the bandages from his head and tossed them to the ground. The lump on his head was still noticeable, but covered in pink solution to prevent headache. This, however, drew a lot of attention from the surrounding students.

Tru was just taking a swig of pumpkin cocoa when her goblet was knocked from her hand. She looked up into the sneering face of Draco Malfoy. She stood from the bench to face him. "What is your problem?" She spat at him. Immediately, all eyes fell on the two. Harry pulled Ron back down to the bench after he tried to retaliate. "This is their quarrel." He murmured. Though they were there, it was Tru who conjured up the idea of ambushing him, and Malfoy seemed to understand that.

"What is MY problem?" Draco spat. He spun his neck around, nearly cracking it out of place, to bring the bulbous lump into view. "This is my problem. Because you decided to have a bit of fun, I was knocked unconscious. You had no right to do what you did; I could have had a more serious injury."

"I suppose your father will hear about this?" Tru growled through gritted teeth. She had so far remained calm, but his utter arrogance was beginning to make her blood boil.

"No." Draco hissed. _How dare she…_He thought angrily. "But I'm sure you'll go running to your pathetic, half-breed father."

"Don't push me, Malfoy!"

"Or what? You'll send Daddy after me?"

Malfoy barely spoke the last word of his retort before Tru grabbed him by the shirt and picked him up off of the ground. She spun around and shoved him onto the table, coming very close to his face. Draco was taken aback by the force of Tru's actions and stared, wordless, up at her.

"You listen to me you pathetic pawn scum." Tru growled. "You may think that because you're in Daddy's pocket and You-Know-Who's tea party that you're worth more than everybody else. But guess what? None of that matters when it comes down to being a good, honest human being. You are nothing but a sample in a phial for the Dark Lord to study and for your parents to parade around like some science experiment. Why don't you stop pretending and just admit that you're nothing but a coward who likes to use his wealth and connections as a pathetic attempt at popularity and that you're going to die alone." When Tru finished, Draco saw a look of shock come over her. Confused, he watched as she let go of him, stared down at her hands in horror, and run from the Great Hall.

He watched after her, bewildered. Not since Granger had punched him in the face three years prior had someone stood up to him that way. This was so different. He wasn't the least bit angry, to his surprise, but impressed. The Great Hall buzzed and Draco lifted himself up. He gazed at the door and made his way out into the corridor. She was nowhere to be found.

_She's more right than she realizes. _He thought to himself. _If only she knew…_Draco soon realized that his thoughts on turning himself around needed to become actions. "I have to start now. Not tomorrow," he whispered to himself as he watched Hermione Granger rush down the corridor, calling out for Tru. "Now."

Had run all the way to the girl's bathroom and began breathing heavily. She stared down at her hands as though they were not her own. In the Great Hall, she almost believed that they were transforming before her eyes. Not once in her life had she ever reacted so angrily. Things were getting worse by the day, she had been so neglectful. Her birthday was only a few days away and soon she would need to deal with these feelings by the calendar.

"Tru?" Hermione's voice whispered beside her. She jumped, startled out of her fearful thoughts to stare wide eyed at Hermione. She could tell by the look on Hermione's face that she was just as shocked by her actions as she was. "Oh, Hermione…" Tru breathed, tears coming down her cheeks in rivers. Hermione sat beside her and cradled her in her arms. Tru sobbed heavily into her shoulder and struggled to catch her breath.

"I've been an idiot." She said finally. "I can't do this. I don't want to do this."

"You don't have a choice…" Hermione said cautiously.

"I know that!" Tru snapped. "I thought I was ready, that I'd be able to handle it. I've prepared for so long and yet here I am in a bathroom terrified out of my mind. I nearly strangled Malfoy for something that isn't even his fault. He may deserve a good throttling, but not for this. It's not about him. It's not about you. It's all about what I'm becoming…"

As though reading her thoughts, Hermione took Tru's hand and whispered. "You are not becoming a monster. You are going through something that you have no say in. That would be frustrating for anyone. However, lycanthropy isn't something anyone should take lightly. No one is truly prepared for it."

Tru gazed at her for a long moment before nodding. "You're right…I need to go and tell Professor Snape…"

"Let me tell him. Just go and get some rest. You're gonna need it." Hermione insisted, helping Tru to stand and leading her to the door. Tru smiled at her, grateful for her presence and decided to write to her father, he would want to hear about all of this.

Hermione made her way in the opposite direction, prepared to face Snape in order to help in any way she could. She rapped on his office door and immediately, the Professor answered. "Miss Granger…" he droned. "What paper did I grade improperly THIS time?"

"This isn't about a paper." Hermione retorted. "It's much more important…"

Draco lay on the couch in the Slytherin common room later that night deep in thought. The force from Tru's reaction had warranted many a Slytherin to comment "What a filthy bitch." "She had no right, Draco." "She should be put in the loony bin." To which Draco nodded in robotic agreement. He secretly felt that he got exactly what he deserved. Anger toward anything she had done melted away and thoughts of his current predicament overshadowed.

He couldn't lie to himself; he was terrified of what lie ahead. He still felt that perhaps if he befriended those he compliantly labeled his enemies, they could help him escape. The question now was how to go about it without wasting too much time.

The very thought that he needed to sneak out later to inspect the cabinet made him want to leap off the Astronomy Tower. He closed his eyes, listening to the sound of the rushing water surrounding the dungeon walls. He blissfully inhaled the smell of burning wood from the fire and thought with great anticipation about playing in the Quidditch match the next day.

Why couldn't simple pleasures like that be all his life had to offer? _Why did I have to be given this life…"_

He was torn from these thoughts by his fellow teammates laughing in a corner. He despised them all. Every Slytherin he saw and how they gloated about their families, their family's families and so on. He couldn't stand that he once chided along with them with such pride. It disgusted him.

"Well he would deserve it wouldn't he?" One of the team members said. Draco listened with sudden interest. Who were they talking about?

"Of course he would, that pompous prick."

"That is, IF they win."

"You know they will, they always do. They cheat. It's probably all Potter, now that he's captain. And that Weasley Mudblood lover, his mate. They're in it together."

"So it's decided. If Gryffindor steals the match, we'll send the bludger after Potter and send a message that no one, especially a pitiful fame mongering coward like Potter, messes with the real champions of Hogwarts."

The entire team cackled with laughter at their master plan. Draco lowered himself back onto the couch, facing away from them. They were indeed planning on causing Potter some serious harm. _What do I care…? He's nothing to me…No…I can't let myself think that way anymore._

_ I have to stop this. _Draco thought urgently. _I need to make sure he doesn't get hurt. It's the only way I can truly change…to put someone else before myself…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

The next morning, Draco prepared to head to the Quidditch pitch early in the hopes that he would run into Harry before the rest of the Slytherin team saw him. He'd even skipped breakfast to make sure that his intervention was timely. As soon as his uniform was on, he dashed out of the dungeons over the grounds to the pitch.

As expected, Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor team were filing into their meeting room. Draco ran up as fast as he could and called out to Harry. Harry turned to see who'd been calling to him and replied with a mingled look of surprise and distaste. "What do you want, Malfoy?" he said irritably. Draco tried his best to keep his composure and remain civil. Despite the fact that just hearing Harry's get-away-from-me tone dug beneath his skin, he knew that he needed to do this.

"I just came to say…" As Draco said these words, it occurred to him that he never thought out how he would tell Harry what was going on. He knew that straight out telling him the truth would get him nowhere, Harry wouldn't believe him and they would waste time. He had to make sure no one else heard them either. He beckoned Harry to come closer.

Once obliged, Draco used their minor seclusion to whip up the quickest and best thing he could say. "You need to let me win this match, Potter."

"Excuse me?" Harry said, his tone lowering to threatening.

Draco beat himself up internally for not thinking of a better plan and tried to rectify it. "What I mea n is…it would benefit you greatly if you let the match go to me."

"And just what makes you think I'm going to just let you win? If you're going to threaten me-"

"It isn't me that's-!"

"If you want to win this match, Malfoy, you'll need to do it with skill. That's that. Now leave me alone." With that, Harry turned a heel and marched up into the meeting room. Draco's blood boiled with frustration. "FINE!" He shouted after him. "You stubborn twit! Go ahead and think, as always, that you're some sort of invincible God! See if I care!"

"FINE!" Harry shouted back before finally disappearing.

_Damn you. _Draco thought. _Why can't you just listen to me? _Even though Draco knew full well why he wouldn't listen, he still felt irritable towards the reaction he received. He would have to find another way to get this across to him before something bad happened.

As time for the match to begin drew nearer, Draco fidgeted with the idea of certain maneuvers to use to catch the snitch before Harry. Being in his new state of mind, Draco found it easier to admit that Potter was a much better seeker than he ever would be. Therein laid the problem. Somehow, someway he would get him to listen.

The horn blew outside, signaling that the match was about to begin. Draco followed his teammates out to the pitch and mounted his broom. Once up in the air, he nearly forgot about his mission as he melted in the air. The feeling of being on his broom always made him so happy. Some days he was tempted to shoot off and never look back. He looked around him at the grounds of Hogwarts. The black lake sparkled under the November sun like dark jewels. The trees lolled lazily in the wind and allowed some of their leaves to fall onto the ground below. His heart flew with him in the air and he smiled to himself.

"FOCUS!" Draco heard his team captain, Ivory Spindle shout at him. He nodded to her.

He hated Ivory. She had replaced their former team captain in order to keep a closer eye on him. Unbeknownst to even Crabbe and Goyle, she was given the task of keeping an eye on him along with Professor Snape. There were some days that he felt he would never escape her piercing black gaze. Her silvery blonde hair whipped around her in it's high ponytail over her stocky shoulders while her crooked nose crinkled over her devilish, yellow grin. He turned from her to look down as Madame Hooch released the quaffle.

The game was in full swing and Draco was reawakened to his mission. He scanned the field in search of Harry and as soon as he spotted him hovering above the Slytherin goal posts, he bolted over to him. Harry watched him approach with calculating scowl on his lips.

"What do you want now?" he shouted at Draco, moving forward to get some distance between them.

"I'm asking you to listen to me, just this once!" Draco said, knowing full well that his tone was much more pitiful than he wanted it to be. "If you don't let me get the snitch, you're going to regret it!"

"I thought I made it clear to you before, I don't respond to threats."

_Says the guy constantly trying to battle the Dark Lord…_Draco thought angrily.

Before he could get another word out, Harry shot forward with his arm outstretched. He saw Ivory glaring over at him and he rushed after him, urging his Nimbus 2001 to speed up. No matter how hard he tried, he knew that his broom would never match the Firebolt's speed. Not long after he began rushing after Harry, the snitch was caught and the crowd cheered.

"You idiot!" Draco shouted at Harry. Harry gave him a triumphant smirk and held the snitch up for the crowd to see. Draco turned to see Crabbe and Goyle hover behind him, waiting for the bludger to come into play. "Shit…" he cursed under his breath. He had to act fast. "What now?"

In an instant, Crabbe hit a passing bludger, Draco lurched forward in Harry's path, and was knocked off of his broom to the ground. Then, all went black.

Draco winced as a sharp pain in his left leg traveled up his body and into his brain. He clenched his eyes and lifted himself off of the grass. His entire team stood around him and Professor Snape came sprinting across the field. He stooped beside Draco and inspected his leg. At the Professor's touch, Draco cried out and pulled away. "It's broken." Snape said. "I'm taking you to the Hospital Wing."

"Good, then it can be healed." Draco said, thankful that this time he didn't have a head injury keeping him behind. Snape scoffed. "I highly doubt that."

Draco eyed him. "Why is that? Madame Pomfrey said that her replacement was just as well versed in medical magic as she was." Snape looked down at him. "Well versed…not well practiced." At these words Draco growled both in pain and anger. How could he have been so foolish? Now how could anything get done? "I hope you realize that your little stunt just landed you in that wing for about a month. Things are going to fall seriously behind." Snape hissed down at him.

"You think I don't know that?" Draco snapped back as they made their way up the hill to the castle. "And it wasn't a stunt." Draco said, quickly trying to cover up his actions, lest they be revealed and his plans blown to oblivion. "I was trying to fly over to Ivory to say something. Crabbe just happened to hit that bludger toward Potter at the wrong time. It's not my fault!"

Snape looked at him with an eyebrow raised. For a moment, Draco panicked thinking that he didn't believe him. Then, without missing a beat, "Perhaps I should dock ten points from Slytherin for Crabbe's poor choice in timing. While his intentions were…honorable…he should have been less careless."

Draco let out a silent breath of relief as they reached the Hospital Wing. Despite the points he'd cost his house by lying, he was happy that he hadn't given himself away. As they entered, Draco noticed a dumpy, curly haired wizard bent low over a first year who seemed to have gotten a bad case of warts. "Now, they aren't that bad, Miss York. I can have those healed as soon as I remember what spell to use…" as he said this, the young girl whimpered up at him with a look of absolute horror on her face.

The wizard turned to see them approaching and excused himself from her as one of the warts began to grow larger on her nose. "Hello there! My name is Nathaniel Pomfrey. I will be filling in for the regular nurse. What can I do for you gentlemen?" he asked as though hoping it wasn't too serious.

"My leg is broken." Draco snapped. "Fix it..,please." He added, regretting it as the look he got from Professor Snape burned into his scalp. Sir Pomfrey grimaced and crouched to observe Draco's now swollen and purpled leg. "I'm sorry, young sir. I know much about medicine. Unfortunately I haven't reached the point in my studies that teaches the healing of broken bones. I'm afraid you'll be down until Madame Pomfrey returns."

Unable to articulate his rage, Draco allowed Sir Pomfrey and Professor Snape to lay him down in a bed and fix his leg into a sling. As soon as Snape left sweeping out of the wing and Sir Pomfrey returned to the poor first year, whose warts were now the size of oranges, he turned his head into the pillow and cursed angrily into it.

"Draco!" an angry, familiar female voice echoed into the wing. Draco sat up and glowered as Ivory, Crabbe and Goyle marched over to his bed. As they came to stand at the end of his bed, giving him looks of complete disbelief; he knew exactly what they had come to say. He put on his best deception in order to ensure that they never saw through him.

"Come to bring me sweets and wishes of a speedy recovery?" he asked smugly. "Well don't, this incompetent substitute doesn't even know how to mend my leg."

Ivory's face grew redder as she continued to glare down at him. "Would you mind explaining to me WHY you flew in front of Potter to block the bludger?" As she spoke, Crabbe and Goyle nodded stupidly to show their support of her statements. Draco cast a dirty look at them. Their nods ceased under his icy stare.

"Blocking Potter?" Draco scoffed, adding a pompous laugh to create an authentic smugness. "I was trying to get out of the way. From the angle I was sitting at, it looked like Crabbe was going to send the damned thing straight my way."

"Professor Snape told me you were trying to get over to me so you could tell me something." Ivory said triumphantly, thinking she had Draco in his lie.

Draco stiffened, thinking of a quick cover up. Then again…why didn't he just tell them what he was really doing? Yes, he saved Harry from a potentially crippling injury. Yes, he was sick of living his cruel and evil existence. Yes, he wanted to escape the life of a Death Eater. Yes, he indeed wanted to switch sides to escape the fate life had handed him.

"He must have misheard me. I told him I was trying to get out of the way. I didn't want to be hit with that bludger. I wanted to see Saint Potter knocked out of the air for being so smug."

_You coward. You damned coward, Draco Malfoy…_

Ivory seemed satisfied but leaned in very close to say barely above a whisper "You'd better hope that you have bones that can heal themselves faster than the normal rate of other human beings. You know the Dark Lord won't settle for the excuse that you just happened to get in the way by some freak accident…he will not settle for failure."

With her cryptic words still hanging in the air, Ivory lead Crabbe and Goyle out of the Hospital Wing.

Draco stared after them, daggers in his eyes as Ivory rounded the corner into the corridor.

"I hate you." He whispered after her, laying back and shoving a pillow over his face.

Later in the evening, Tru sat in the common room across from Harry, Ron, and Hermione with her History of Magic text book open in her lap. She bent over it, desperately trying to remember what Professor Binns had told them about the misprint regarding the witch trials. She occasionally stopped to listen in on her friends' conversation about the incident at the Quidditch match.

"You're saying he told you HE needed to win?" Hermione asked Harry, perplexed. "Do you think he was trying to warn you against what was going to happen?"

"Why would he, Hermione?" Ron asked through a mouthfull of Chocolate Frog. "He's never done anything like that. He was probably just flaunting that he knew the Slytherin team wanted to send that bludger toward Harry."

"I don't know. He seemed pretty desperate to talk to me." Harry said with a look of deep thought on his face. "I've never seen him like that."

"He's probably just trying to get on your good side so he can hand you over to You-Know-Who himself." Ron mumbled, shoving another Chocolate Frog into his already stuffed cheeks.

Tru sighed deeply and shook her head. After she'd landed Malfoy in the Hospital just a few days prior and after her aggression toward him, she had tried desperately to ignore the subject. Anything involving anything really got her skin bubbling. Thankfully, she had her next three months supply of potion from Professor Snape and all she had to do was take it, go through the full moon, and be done with it for another month. This, possibly, was what was obscuring her concentration.

"…you want Tru?" Ron's question cut her out of her thoughts and she looked up. "I'm sorry?" she asked forcefully, trying to keep her temper in line. She wasn't used to being this angry, especially at people who didn't deserve it.

"I asked what you wanted to do for your birthday since Harry suggested we have a private little party here in the Common Room." All three of them smiled at her.

Her birthday…"It is tomorrow isn't it?" She asked dreamily.

"Yes." Harry chuckled. "And despite everything you're going through, we want to make it a special one for you."

Despite the warmth Tru felt toward her friends' genuine interest in her birthday happiness, Tru could feel nothing but dread toward the day she thought she was so ready for. She sputtered and shrugged at them, attempting to look as happy as possible.

"Whatever you guys think I'll like, I guess. I don't really mind what we do." She said before returning to her book, hoping she looked busy enough for them to leave her alone and conspire about whatever they wanted to do for her. Hermione, however, saw right through this and moved to the couch to sit beside her.

"Listen, Tru, we know you're not feeling very well right now. I just want you to know…we're here for you." Hermione cooed, putting a hand on Tru's back. Tru looked up at her, then at Harry and Ron. She wasn't sure what to say to them. While she knew that they meant well and that they were trying to cheer her up, she couldn't ignore the fact that they could never truly understand what she was going through. Still she smiled at them and said "Thank you. Ya know, despite everything…I can't wait until tomorrow. It's not every day you turn 16."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

As Tru awoke to the sun beams burning through her eyelids, she sighed and reluctantly sat up to the day ahead. As soon as she did, she felt a grin grow on her lips. At the end of the bed sat her owl, Rewyn, with a small parcel and letter for her. Around his neck was a bright yellow and red ribbon, which he nipped at in a vain attempt to remove it. Tru reached out to him and untied it before retrieving her mail.

Her father's loopy handwriting littered the package and instantly, Tru's fears melted away. She'd been missing her father dearly as well as the presence of someone who could understand everything she was going through. He was always the one person who could tap into her thoughts and know when she was feeling low. Even though she knew these mail items were birthday presents, she still knew that she was in his every thought as he was hers.

She gently opened the letter and read it, smiling softly to herself.

"_Dearest Tru,_

_ Happy 16__th__ Birthday! I miss you terribly and hope that your special day is as special as you are to me. Remember: You are strong and your father is always within reach. I love you with all of my heart. Enjoy this day, it's all yours._

_ Love,_

_ Your Father"_

Tru hugged the letter to her chest and reached for the parcel. Rewyn stepped forward and hopped up on Tru's shoulder as though eager to see what she'd received. He always had been a curious little thing. He nipped affectionately at her ear and hooted softly at her. "Thank you, Rewyn." She nuzzled at him and allowed him to return to the owlery. Tru looked down at the contents of her package with a deep, joyful sigh.

Inside were some sweets along with a beautiful bracelet and matching necklace made from amethyst. The beautiful, royal purple stones lay a few inches from one another on the thin black chains. In each stone were tiny letters spelling out "My Beautiful Daughter". Tru donned them and jumped up to get dressed. She looked over and saw that Hermione and the others were already gone. She suspected that they were already at breakfast and, feeling quite hungry herself, rushed down to join them.

As Tru approached the Great Hall, she realized that she'd slept so long that breakfast had probably already ended. Students were heading outdoors to enjoy their Sunday. Feeling a low growl of hunger in her belly, she decided she'd better check just in case there was anything left.

As soon as she came through the doors, her face was invaded by a flurry of color and many voices shouted "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TRU!" followed by cheering. Tru laughed as the owners of these voices came into view. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were joined by the whole of Gryffindor house, including Professor McGonagall. All of them clapped as Ron rushed forward to strap a neon green and purple pointed party hat to Tru's head. He pushed her forward and on the table before her was a chocolate cake three tiers high with her name in sky blue letters. Presents sat to the left and to the right lay a great buffet of chicken, ham, and assorted side dishes.

"Thank you all." Tru said, receiving hugs from everyone around her.

To the delight of everyone around her, she decided they'd better start with the cake. As she blew out the candles, she skipped her wish knowing full well the only thing she wanted couldn't come true. Each person in the room wolfed down the cake with many noises of approval to Hermione and Ginny for their wonderful baking. They moved on to presents next, shoving them toward Tru begging her to open theirs individually before anyone else's.

From Ron, Tru received an official Gryffindor Quidditch Team bath robe. "I had Mom sew it for you." He said proudly as she held it to her, drinking in its soft fabric. From Hermione, she got a brand new peacock feather quill and a heavy leather journal. "I know how much you love to write." She said to her, beaming. Harry gave her a living animal figurine set including a tiny owl, cat, hippogriff, and dragon. Tru watched them happily as their tiny bodies scampered around the table to rest before her and bow. "You always did love animals." He said, rustling her hair.

Tru also received books on magical beasts, a tiny statue of Merlin, and assorted sweets and cards. For the remainder of the party, her and the rest of the guests played games of exploding snap and hide and seek. The affair lasted for hours and eventually the sun began to set against the windows of the Great Hall. Tru thanked everybody for coming to make her day so wonderful and walked back to Gryffindor tower with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

They all stared at her grimly. No matter how wonderful of a day it had been, they knew that she needed to prepare for the night ahead. Tru almost regretted not making her wish for the full moon to be on any other night but this one.

Night approached quickly, too quickly for Tru. It was nearly 9 O'clock when she decided it was time for her to head down to the grounds so she could take her potion and spend the night in the forest. She reflected back on the conversation she'd had with Professor McGonagall after her party and drew a deep breath to calm herself.

"Your father told all of the teachers prior to your arrival this year, Miss Lupin." McGonagall said in a serious tone. "He made sure everyone was prepared to be discreet. Hagrid has been alerted and he has made sure that the centaurs and other creatures in the Forbidden Forest don't bother you. Just come down to the Entrance Hall after bed time with your potion and I will have Hagrid lead you out so that you can have privacy."

While Tru felt a deep sense of gratitude toward her teachers as well as Hagrid, she still felt so awkward being singled out. It was simply an inevitability she would have to become accustomed to if she was to get through all of this. As she rounded the corner into the main Entrance Hall, she spotted Hagrid and Professor McGonagall near the doors of the castle. As she approached, they smiled feebly at her in a vain attempt to comfort her. Behind those gestures of kindness lay a faint scent of pity and Tru knew it. She looked down at the ground when she reached them, trying not to give in to her urge to cry.

"You a'right there, Tru?" Hagrid asked, sounding concerned.

"Fantastic." Tru forced. "I brought my potion, should I just take it now?"

"Yes, that's best." McGonagall said softly. "Professor Snape and your father both mentioned that the sooner you take it, the better. Take it too close to your transformation and it could be disastrous. Though the time varies, it's best to get it before you step into the moonlight."

Tru nodded curtly at her and brought the bottle of light violet potion from her pockets. She twirled it around in its glass casing for a moment, mesmerized by the way a thin layer of it stuck to the sides. Slowly, she tipped the bottle against her lips and allowed it to travel past them. The texture was highly unpleasant. It felt chalky and tasted of nothing less. Tru's face contorted in disgust and she waited for some sort of side effect. When none came, she became fearful that this was a bad batch.

As though reading her mind, McGonagall pat her on the shoulder and said "It won't start working until you're in your other form. Be careful…We will come and find you in the morning." With that, Tru followed Hagrid out onto the overcast grounds of Hogwarts. Tru was incredibly happy that the moon wasn't out yet. She didn't want anything to happen until she was far away from the castle.

"How far are we going?" Tru asked Hagrid, genuinely curious as to where she would be spending these once a month prison sentences. Hagrid gave her a side glance before puffing up, as though he'd been given a very important position. "There's a clearing with a small pond near the center of the forest. The centaurs said that you can use it to occupy nights o' the full moon. Prideful creatures, centaurs. But get on their good side, you can do almost anythin'."

Tru gave a weak laugh in response to this. She was sure that the centaurs were lovely, but she could really care less at the moment. They entered the forest and took a pathway to their immediate left. Tru kept a constant watch on the clouds, urging them not to part until she was completely alone. She didn't want to hurt anyone, especially not Hagrid; not when he was being so kind to her.

After nearly a half an hour of walking, they came upon a grassy clearing blocked by tight knit groups of trees. In the very center was a small pond speckled with lily pads and patches of vines. Tru looked up at Hagrid who was staring around the clearing as though searching for something.

"Is something wrong?" Tru asked. He looked down at her and gave her a crinkly smile. "No, o'course not. Jus' makin' sure you won' be disturbed. I trust you brought yerself some extra robes? Ya know…just in case you lose the ones yer wearin'."

Tru stared wide eyed back at Hagrid. She hadn't even thought of the possibility that she would be exposed once she returned to normal. Hagrid seemed to catch on and took off his great moleskin coat. "Take this, it's a bit dirty and worse for the wear but it'll keep yeh warm. When you wake up just go back to the edge of the forest. One of us'll find you there." He gave her a great pat on the shoulder, knocking the wind out of her, and turned to leave the forest.

Tru opened her mouth to call him back, gripping his coat tightly in her trembling hands. No sound came out. The fear began to grip against her like a vice and there was now no escape. She was all alone. Before she could release her tears, a beam of light came down through the trees…

And it began…

A fire rose in her bones and she cried out in pain, dropping the coat to the ground. Her skin boiled as though she were only a few feet from the sun and she grabbed at every inch of her own skin she could, trying without mercy to make it stop. Soon, long claws erupted from her fingers and fur sprouted from naked flesh. She continued grabbing at herself, praying for an end as she scratched into her arms and chest. Blood dripped from her as her clothing ripped from her body. She looked wide eyed down at her naked, foreign body. Muscles tensed on a torso that she refused to believe was her own and she watched in horror as dark, grey fur sprouted from every angle. Her legs contorted and bent backward. Her head twitched and mutated into a bottle nose and teeth grew to the size of her human fingers. She could no longer take the silence and emitted a howl that shattered the silent glass of the night around her.

At last the transformation was complete. For a split second, she felt a wild urge to run, to eat, to hunt…and then it was gone. She was aware of herself and how alone she was.

She felt taller, as though she'd had a five foot growth spurt. Her vision became colorless and her senses were driven wild. Everything was so alien, she didn't even want to look at herself, but knew that if she didn't she would never be able to move past the shock and find a way to cope with herself.

Slowly, the wolf approached the tiny pool of water at the center of the clearing, fearing the sight she was about to experience. With a large, furry hand, she swiped away a few lily pads and cautiously bent her head over the surface to see herself. The large, canine face and yellowed eyes that stared back made her feel sick to her stomach. She stumbled backward and put her claws into her scalp. "_I could never have prepared myself for this…" _She growled, whimpering.

"_No one in their right mind ever truly could." _A familiar voice said behind her. Tru whipped her head around to see another, larger werewolf emerge from the forest. She stood and gazed hard into the face of the newcomer and rushed forward. "_Father!"_

Tru cradled her head over her father's shoulder and he gave her head a lick, in place of a kiss. "_It's alright, I'm here. I knew you would need me. At least for the first time."_

Tru looked into her father's lycanthrope face, puzzled. "_How did you get here? I thought you were with the Order." _

_ "Even the members of the Order understand that a daughter needs her father. Especially in unique situations like ours."_

The pair stomped over to the pond and sat beside it together. Tru cuddled as close to her father as she possibly could, thankful that he was there no matter what the circumstances. It gave her more than comfort, it gave her hope. He looked down at her, his face riddled and worn from many full moons before. She wondered if she would look that withered when she grew to be his age. Her father's jowls rose in an awkward wolf smile.

"_You really are taking this better than I ever hoped you would."_

Tru tilted her head and her ears perked up. "_I am? I thought I was taking it rather miserably."_

Remus growled playfully. "_You know, most people in our situation would be tearing and ripping at the trees by now. It's terrifying for everyone, no matter how strong. The fact that you're so calm shows me that you are handling it as best you can."_

_ "I don't feel like I am."_

_ "At least you admit that it frightens you now. To continue and pretend like this is a walk in the park would be foolish. I came to make sure that you'd be alright…You will be very ill when this is over. Don't forget that for the first few times it isn't going to be easy. You need to remember your potions and always remember that you can never be late on them…because this will be the only time I am able to join you while you're here."_

Tru's face became fearful and she stared into her father's eyes for a sign that he was bluffing. She prayed that he would let out a laugh and tell her that he was only kidding.

"_I can tell you're scared." _Remus said, licking Tru's cheek to destroy the tears running their way through her fur. "_It's ok to be scared. But I can't always be there for you… I won't always be there for you…You're growing up, Tru. Whether or not you realize it now, you can make it through a once a month nightmare. One day you will have no choice but to live without me…"_

_ "Don't talk like that, Dad!"_

_ "I'm serious, Tru. Listen to me." _Remus became serious and forced Tru to face him, a paw gripping lightly at her jaw. "_With the way things are, Voldemort rising to power and a war right around the corner, I am constantly putting my life on the line. You have to realize that while I am what I am, I am also just a man. Anything can happen to me and I want you to be strong no matter what happens the way I know you can. Do you understand?"_

Tru felt something rise within her. Among the strong admiration and pride she felt for her father, she also felt a small orb of bravery find its way into her chest. It was the same one she had when she felt so ready for this to happen. She knew that going through the fear and allowing herself to feel it, thus overcoming it, was the first step.

She looked deep into her father's eyes and nodded. "_I understand. I'll be ok, Dad. Thank you."_

Long into the night and into the early hours of the morning, the two wolves lay together beside that pond and talked as fathers and daughters often do. The moment first light peeked over the mountains, Remus reluctantly left the clearing along with his sleeping daughter, not forgetting to give her one last lick on the forehead.

Tru awoke from the cold more than anything else. She began shivering and wrapped her arms around herself only to draw her hands away at the touch. Without realizing it, she had returned to normal. She felt so weak, hungry, exhausted, and ill that even the task of picking up Hagrid's coat felt like hard labor. She wrapped the coat around herself, making a mental note never to forget extra robes again, and stumbled out of the forest.

The moment she reached the edge, she collapsed from exhaustion into Hagrid's waiting arms and he carried her up to the Hospital Wing.

_The darkness enveloped him before he could escape it. The cloak of the Dark Lord wrapping him around the shoulder overwhelmed him and the piercing laughter that invaded the silence made his knees grow weak and his stomach sore. "Thank you, my boy…you have done well. Welcome…." Suddenly, he felt a great pain in his left arm. He screamed. "NO! PLEASE!"…_

"NO!"

Draco sat straight up in his bed, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looked around and down at his arm. Thankfully, the mark beneath his pajamas was well covered. No one could know…he had to keep it hidden…

He leaned up against his pillow and rubbed his arm, scowling at the wall as he remembered the night he received his Dark Mark. "You're a man now, Draco." His father had said to him. "I'm not a man…I'm a monster…" he whispered to himself.

Just then, he heard a faint whimper beside him and he jumped. He looked at the bed to his left and saw Tru Lupin, pale and sweaty asleep upon it. "What's she doing here?" he whispered. She looked grave, almost as though she was poisoned and on the verge of death.

Sir Pomfrey was at the edge of the Hospital Wing speaking to Professor McGonagall. Thankfully, they hadn't noticed that he had woken up and he was able to listen in.

"Oh yes, it is serious. Its not the worst that I've seen, but it's still bad. I'm not able to do anything for her as this is much too advanced. She will probably be here until Madame Pomfrey returns from her conference."

"That will be fine, as long as she gets the rest. I'll be sending her friends from my house with her homework every evening. But I don't want her working any harder than she has to."

"Oh it should be fine, Mr. Malfoy is in the same boat, almost. Perhaps he could help her along until she recovers. "

Draco looked from them to Tru laying in the bed. She tossed and turned quite a lot. He realized that for the next month, she was going to be all he had. He knew that his fellow Slytherins probably wouldn't be visiting him much, they were always so preoccupied with useless gloating to really care about a simple broken leg. He didn't need them…

Now he had his chance…a chance to hopefully reach someone…

To possibly make a friend in Tru Lupin.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

Draco sat in his bed with a look of pale terror on his pointed face. His stony grey eyes welled up with tears and his left hand crushed the letter he'd received. He didn't want to believe the words he'd just read.

When Ivory had come again to see him that morning, he expected that she would be bringing him news. However, he never expected something grimmer than what he already knew. He at first opened the letter from his mother with great anticipation, longing to see words of comfort from the one woman who knew the true weight of his burden. Instead, he read:

_"My Dearest Son,_

_ First and foremost, I must tell you how proud I am of how brave you are being. Remain, strong. No matter what happens, I am always here for you. Your father is also very proud of you. I know you aren't very happy with him, my love, but he is your father and you must remember that blood is thicker than water. _

_ Second…I_ _have been given a message to pass on from the One in Charge. Along with ensuring safe passage for your comrades into the Final Destination, you must also…_

_ Take the head off of the statue. You know what you have to do._

_ Be strong, my son. I love you._

_ Love,_

_Mother"_

The letter might have seemed riddled to anyone else reading it, but to Draco it was as plain as day. "Take the head off of the statue." Meant that not only would he have to give the Death Eaters safe flight into the school, but that he had to destroy the head of Hogwarts. In other words: He needed to murder Albus Dumbledore.

In a flurry of frustration and horror, he drew his wand from the robes on his side table, tossed the letter into the air and cried "INCENDIO!" and watched it burst into flames. As the parchment turned to ash, he heard a soft moan from his left and he snapped his neck to look at Tru Lupin, still sleeping. Her waist length, sandy brown hair was a tangled mass around her frail looking body. Her eyes had obtained a bruised and darkened circle around them and he just noticed that she had two fresh cuts on the right side of her neck. They were wrapped in bandages, but he could see the blood seeping through as though opened fresh.

As he looked over at her, he began to feel a little bit calmer. He couldn't understand why, but he was beginning to feel that she was his only hope. He had such loyalty toward his mother, and only felt the same thing for his father because of her. He fought his elitist nature every day, wanting to be free from the dark binds that he had so willingly taken with a foolish notion of importance. Now that he realized the full extend of what he'd gotten into, he'd grown a conscience that was steadily gaining strength as the days passed. Yet he also felt like a small child trapped in a corner with nowhere to run. The fear almost overpowered his desire to change. He realized he would have to focus hard just to put on the niceties. If he didn't, no one would ever help him. He couldn't run on his own, he just couldn't.

As these thoughts plagued his brain, he heard a weak voice beside him.

"Fancy yourself some sort of hero I suppose?"

He turned his head to slowly gaze into Tru's tired eyes, trying desperately to avoid looking stressed. "Pardon?" He asked calmly.

Tru jerked her head at Draco's suspended broken leg. "I saw what happened at the match. Harry seems to think you saved his neck. Bet it was just an accident and now you fancy yourself some sort of hero."

Draco blinked wildly at her. "No." he said flatly. "Not really."

Tru tilted her head at him. He wasn't taking any credit, not gloating about how he rescued Harry from his own cronies even if that wasn't his intention, and wasn't even retaliating at the latter. "Why did you do it then?" She asked, trying to throw him off.

Draco opened his mouth to tell her point blank, but stopped himself. Would she even believe him? He would never get her to trust him if he wasn't honest. Though, sometimes honesty wasn't exactly returned with kind words after the things he'd done to them. He was the Boy Who Cried Wolf and they were the villagers. He could at least try. What could it hurt?

"None of your business, you filthy werewolf spawn!"

Tru looked taken aback and angry, her glare penetrating his flesh. "You stupid bastard." She spat, turning over to avoid him.

_You ass hole. _Draco cursed himself. He'd let his fear get the better of him. He gripped at his hair and tensed his muscles, cursing himself continually under his breath before calming down and looking imploringly at the back of Tru's head. He leaned over, his mouth sputtering as he tried to apologize, but laid back as the Hospital Wing door swung open and Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the room.

Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, Draco found himself feeling a white hot hatred toward Harry as he approached Tru's bed. _This is all your fault. _He thought, his heart pounding against his ribs. _If you hadn't been so fucking special and brought the Dark Lord down, he would never be after you and I wouldn_'t _have to do any of this. It's all your fault._

He found himself reaching for his wand and turned his head away from them, breathing heavily. How could he still be thinking like that? He knew very well he couldn't blame Harry for wanting to bring Voldemort down at all. He knew that the stress was getting to him and if he let that happen, he wouldn't be able to accomplish his secret mission.

"How're you feeling?" Hermione asked Tru, pouring her a glass of water. Tru took it with a quiet "Thank you." and gulped it eagerly. She met Harry's eye and jerked her head at the next bed, toward Draco. He looked and saw him lying there, understanding that Tru couldn't very well talk about her condition with him around. He nodded down at her and pointed so Ron and Hermione could see.

"You have to share a hospital stay with that sorry git?" Ron whispered in surprise.

"Not by choice." Tru said, venom in her voice. "But can we just…say that I feel horrible, it was awful, but that I think that I'll be able to get through it now because Moony was in the forest and I've regained my courage."

All three of them nodded, understanding completely. Just then, the bell rung and they bid Tru a reluctant farewell and earnest wishes of well being. "We will bring you your homework later." Hermione said, waving good bye. "See you later." Harry said, casting a wary glance at Draco before rounding the corner out of sight.

Tru lay back deep into her pillow, exhaling loudly. Despite the fact that she felt as though she'd been hit by a train, she knew that these bouts in the hospital would be temporary. Her conversation with her father was indeed a confidence booster for Tru. Knowing that the rest of her life would be this way was suddenly not as fearful and crippling as she had begun to believe. Yet she couldn't help but feel lonesome. She wished with all of her heart that she would be able to see him every month so that she wouldn't need to go through the rest of the year's full moons by herself.

She turned over to look at Draco, distracting herself from such depressing thoughts. She analyzed him as he too poured himself some water and downed it as though he'd been through a drought. He gave her a side glance as he gulped it down.

"What?" he asked softly, wiping the excess droplets from the corners of his mouth.

"Nothing." Tru snapped back. "I'm just thinking."

"About what?" Draco asked, trying his best to sound sincere.

"None of your business." Tru said, mocking Draco's previous tone.

Draco slammed his glass down on the table and scoffed. "What is it with you people? Can't you even have a civilized conversation with someone sitting right next to you?"

"Not with someone like you, Malfoy. Not after the way you've treated us for the last five years."

"Well then why don't you just leave me the hell alone!" Draco spat, immediately withdrawing and giving her an apologetic look. Tru returned this look with a wary stare and turned over again.

"I'm sorry…I didn't-"

"Forget it, Malfoy. Leave ME alone, if you please." Tru said, fighting tears of anger. Her body screamed with aching bones and muscles already, she didn't need to be bothered by a foul mouthed piece of pond scum like Malfoy during her recovery.

Draco opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to find a way to redeem himself. When it seemed that Tru had fallen asleep, he finally gave up and slammed himself back on the bed.

_You've really screwed this up for yourself and you didn't even know it. _He thought scornfully. _You've got to keep control. You can do this. You can do this…_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten**

_There was a sudden flash of bright green light. Tru screamed and turned to run. Her legs were like iron, she could hardly lift them on her own. She had to try, she had to get away. Someone grabbed her hand and pulled. She tried desperately to free herself. "NO!" she screamed. "LET GO OF ME! YOU'LL GET HURT!" She freed her wrist from the mysterious person's grip and ran for the forest. A flurry of trees flew past her in gigantic, black blurs and a whole myriad of creatures growled and stamped as she ran. There was the cliff, just ahead of her. She had to do it, there was no other escape. She felt a deep, mournful howl emit from her belly and lunged forward…_

Tru sat up, her breath catching in her lungs as though she really had been running. She wiped the icy sweat from her brow and fell back onto her bed. Her eyes gazed wearily up at the ceiling of the Hospital Wing as she tried to remember her dream. She could almost see the person who had grabbed her, but who was it?

"Good morning." A voice beside her made her jump. She turned her head to see Draco Malfoy, a plate of eggs and steak in his lap. He chewed idly as he looked at her. She glared back at him. "What do you want now, Malfoy?" she snapped groggily at him, holding her head as she shifted to sit up in her bed.

"A good morning back would be a good start." Draco replied, smiling at her.

Tru stared at him, bewildered. His attitude seemed to have completely taken a turn from the one he had the day before. He reached forward to take a second plate of breakfast from his bed table and reached over to hand it to her. Cautiously, she took it from him and still staring at him said "Good…morning…." She stared down at the food he'd passed to her with obvious suspicion.

"It's delicious." Draco said reassuringly. "I can prove that it's safe if you'd like."

_That's it, Draco. Keep your cool. Of course she's going to be wary at first. Just get her to trust you and you'll be alright. Having a new friend won't be so bad…_

Tru shoved the plate back at him and twitched it. "Go on then." She demanded, her voice cracking. Draco took the plate and took a sizeable chunk of steak and a bit of egg onto his fork. Staring straight into her eyes, Draco shoved the lot into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. After a long moment, he slowly handed the plate back to her and she took it. Convinced that the food was clean, Tru began shoving it into her mouth as if she hadn't eaten in weeks.

Draco, wide eyed, watched her curiously and decided to try the next step of "Operation Tru". "You seemed in a right state last night." He said, genuine concern in his voice. "Were you having a nightmare?" Tru slammed her fork down on the empty plate and shoved it a way. She shifted to turn sideways and glare at him. "What are you playing at?" she asked flatly.

"I'm not playing at anything. I'm just asking you-"

"I know very well what you're asking me. But why? You have never been nice to me before, not once. So what I want to know is why you suddenly want to know if I'm alright and why you seem so concerned about my current state of health."

Tru ended her inquiries with a look of triumph. She felt that he was trapped now and that any second, he would yell something cruel at her and turn over like a child. However, Draco had prepared for these kinds of questions all night with a true, honest answer.

"Because like it or not, you and I are going to be here for a while. Madame Pomfrey won't be back until the end of the month, after Thanksgiving. I figured that all things considered, it wouldn't be a bad idea to push our differences aside and make the most of the inevitable time we're going to spend together." He finished with a great sigh and waited for Tru to respond, his chest tight.

Tru considered the weight of truth in his statement and backed away from the harsh phrases she'd prepared for him. She placed her empty plate on her bedside table and decided that one more test would prove if he was really being legitimately nice to her.

She jerked her head at Draco's leg and asked "Did you really save Harry from the bludger?"

Draco considered this for a moment before deciding he had better be honest with her, as honest as he was willing to be for the moment. "Yah. I did."

Seeing the look on her face, he knew she didn't believe him and almost turned away when he quickly added "I heard the rest of the team plotting it out the night before the match. They said that if Gryffindor won, they would show Harry Potter who really runs the school. For once in my life I just wanted to do the opposite of what is typically expected of someone like me."

Tru looked at him, almost amazed with the way Draco was pouring out these words. Finally he finished off by saying "I may be an arrogant bastard on the outside…but no one has ever bothered to ask me what I'm really like, what I want, or where I want to go. It's all been decided for me, I'd like to speak for myself for once and have someone listen. I just get so stressed and I let my ego take the wheel for awhile. If it wasn't for the fact that I've been built up to be a certain way, I would probably have been a completely different person; I'd be who I really want to be inside AND out."

Tru considered everything he had just said, a wry look on her face. Draco gave her an imploring look, praying that she believed him then. Everything he'd said was buried deep down until that day. He was completely in awe of how comfortable he was saying these things to Tru. He, for once, wasn't afraid of letting someone know how he really felt—at least to some extent.

"All right." Tru said finally. "I suppose I can understand that." She rolled onto her side to face him, supporting her chin on her right hand. Pleased that she seemed so open to him now, Draco shifted his torso to face her and smiled. Perhaps now, he would be able to have a decent conversation with her.

"So, what brings you into the hospital wing?" he asked casually.

Tru's smile faltered for a moment. She wasn't willing to give him THAT much leeway just yet. She tried her best to look casual and shrugged "Just really sick. Fell down the stairs, too." She added hastily, pointing to the bandages around her neck and arms. Draco, however, didn't seem to buy this white lie and chuckled to himself. "Seriously? That's what you're giving me?" he chortled.

"Well I don't exactly trust you very much at the moment, do I?" Tru counteracted. Draco smirked.

"I might not trust you much either." He replied in sing song.

"Well then, I guess we're even." Tru grinned.

"I guess we are…come on..at least give me a hint." Draco persisted, leaning forward to give her a close look over. Tru recoiled and glared at him. "I won't tell you until I trust you. We just covered that…" she thought for a moment. _Would it be so bad to tell him? _She thought to herself. He was after all, acting very different than usual…_Just give him something to ponder it, and leave it at that._

"Have you ever…" she began, hesitant at the eager look on Draco's face. "…Have you ever had a secret so terrible that…the mere knowledge that it exists makes you want to just…disappear?"

Draco froze. It was as though Tru had spoken words from the darkest parts of his very own mind. He stared intently at her, finding that he not only greatly understood what she was saying to him—"I can't tell you because I don't even want to admit it to myself."—but that she seemed to understand him more than she knew. The feeling was certainly different, but comforting.

"I…fully and deeply understand that feeling." He said slowly and earnestly, staring into her teal eyes. His heart began pounding in a foreign way and he withdrew his gaze for a moment. _That was odd…_ he thought, rapidly shaking his head. He looked back to smile feebly at her.

Tru smiled weakly back at him, feeling great relief that he seemed to understand where she was coming from. She also began feeling a rising anxiety in her gut. It spread quickly and she felt a rhythmic thudding against her ribcage and caught herself staring straight into Draco's stone grey eyes. He seemed to have noticed this too and they both quickly withdrew their stares.

"So…" Tru said after a long moment of silence. Draco looked over at her to see her grinning widely at him. She held up box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and, much to his confusion, dragged the side table to stand between them. She sat at the edge of her bed, poured the candies from their box and stared at him expectantly. She tilted her head to the side, almost like a curious puppy, and laughed at him. He gazed back, puzzled.

"I take it you've never played this game." Tru said. She reached over, added another pillow behind him so that he could sit up, and turned him to face her. "This is called the Bean Game. Basically, you take a bean," Tru reached out and picked up a black and grey bean and held it up for him to see. "Eat it, and guess the flavor. I usually have a chart with all of the colors and flavors. There is no winning or losing. It's a fun way to pass the time, though. We could also turn it into a way to get to know one another." She suddenly reached back to the other side of her bed and pulled a small bit of parchment and a quill from the bag Harry had left for her. She began scribbling idly and Draco watched her, bewildered. She seemed so suddenly excited about the prospect of getting to know him that she was making a game just for them to play in order to make it more comfortable for them both. He shook his head in amazement and half smiled as she grinned at whatever she'd written.

"How about this. We'll take a bean, split it in half, each of us will eat a half and guess the flavor. We can charm this parchment to turn green or red when we touch it to see if we are right or wrong." She lay the parchment on the table and moved the beans onto it. On the parchment, she'd drawn two long rectangles on either side and a large circle in the middle, presumably for the beans. "Just touch the rectangle on your side and see if you're right or wrong. If you're right, you can say anything about yourself that you wish. If you're wrong, the other player can ask any question and you must answer it. If we're both wrong, we both have to say something embarrassing about ourselves. Agreed?"

Draco blinked at her, but nodded in understanding. He found himself a little excited to play this game, no one had ever gone through so much effort to get to know him before. He watched as Tru happily charmed the parchment and it gave a light yellow glow on either side. Tru reached down and grabbed a light orange and green bean and split it in half. She handed one half to Draco and he took it, slightly reluctant. She held her half up and gave mischievous grin before popping it into her mouth. Draco followed suit, instantly bombarded by the disgusting flavor of what seemed to be rotten egg.

He reached forward to give his answer but Tru beat him to it. She slapped her hand onto the parchment and cried out "Moldy tomato!"in a groggy, disgusted voice. Her rectangle responded with a soft green glow and she cheered . "You've got to be faster than that, Draco. Now…first question…" She overtook a look of deep contemplation and eyed him curiously. He couldn't help but grin widely at her and found himself searching for questions about her.

Late into the night the two played their game together, both secretly glad that no one they knew had barged in on them. They were enjoying the newfound time together and both silently wished, to their confusion, that they could keep this seclusion and never leave again. For once, to their surprise, they felt like someone truly understood them.

Draco was almost too bewildered to believe that someone like Tru had actually taken him seriously and was willing to give him a chance. Part of him grew worried, what if she found out what he was doing, what he had to do? _Simple…_He thought. _Don't tell her…she's better off not knowing anyway. _Draco looked at Tru nervously. Part of him felt bad for being so secretive. Yet he understood that she was doing the same for a reason. Perhaps one of these days he could tell her and they would get out of their situations together…

_Huh…That's a very intriguing thought…_


End file.
